


Literally a Cat

by PenguinZero



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Kissing, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24311194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenguinZero/pseuds/PenguinZero
Summary: 'yes Catra is a complex character whose story we worked very carefully on but also, literally just a cat' — Noelle StevensonA series of fluffy vignettes about the trials and tribulations of being the girlfriend to a very eccentric, but also very affectionate, cat.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 471





	1. Catra loves to fit in a box

A light thump echoed through the dimly-lit room. "Huh. This is surprisingly cozy."

"Catra? Where'd you go?" The old First Ones' ruin was evidently a storage depot of some sort, filled with crystalline crates, barrels, and giant shipping containers — mostly empty, a few filled with data crystals Entrapta would have trampled them to get a look at. Adora turned away from the container she'd been prying open to scan the chamber, trying to find Catra in the gloom. 

A hand raised out of one of the smaller crates and waved vaguely in Adora's direction. "Adora, come over here, you've got to try this. This is amazing."

Adora made her way over to the crate warily. "What's going on? Was there something in there?"

"No, no. It's just — it's so cozy! I mean, I've squeezed into some tight places before, but this really goes above and beyond."

She peered in the top, and there was nothing in the box but Catra, almost completely filing it, with her back against one side and her knees pressed against the opposite side. Catra looked up at her with a very pleased expression. "Look, isn't it great? It's snug, it's comfortable — I've got to get one of these for my room." She scooted slightly to one side, which opened up effectively no new space. "Come on, get inside! You'll love it."

"Catra, it's just a box. I am not trying to squeeze into an empty box for no reason. Why would I want to? I don't think we'd even both fiiiiaaaah!" Adora was cut off as Catra's hand shot up again, grabbed her by the front of her shirt, and yanked her down until her upside-down face was level with Catra's. Adora had only half a moment to recognize Catra's smugly amused expression before suddenly they were kissing.

Oh. That was why.


	2. Catra will sit on your newspaper.

"Hey, Adora."

"Wh-what are you— Catra, I was reading those!" Adora tried to lean around her girlfriend, who had just plopped herself down right on the large desk Adora was using. "Those are important battle plans! Grizzlor has a small army of Horde holdouts trying to set up their own fortress in—"

"Yeah, I know. Don't care." She flopped over backwards, pinning Adora's hand to the report on troop distributions around Thaymor she'd been reaching for. "Your girlfriend's bored, Adora. She's bored and you're paying attention to something that isn't her." Catra rolled onto her side, looking at Adora with a lazy smirk. "Isn't that awful? Isn't that just the worst thing in the world?"

Adora, despite herself, couldn't help but smile. "Okay, okay… If I give you a kiss, will you give me ten more minutes to work on this?"

Catra closed her eyes, leaning forward just a little. "Maaaaaybe."

It was a soft, gentle, relaxed kiss, one of the ones that spread warmth through their whole bodies. Time seemed to stand still, stretching the moment into hours until Catra finally broke off and took a deep breath, smiling from ear to ear.

"Mmmmmmnope. Not enough." She bumped her forehead against Adora's. "Maybe another two might work?"

As it turned out, it took a lot more than two.


	3. Catra has the zoomies.

They were lying together under a tree in the Bright Moon gardens, peacefully dozing side by side, when Catra suddenly jumped to her feet.

"Hey, let's race!"

Adora pushed herself up on her elbows, blinking groggily. "Whuzzat?"

"Like we used to back in the Fright Zone! Come on! I bet I can reach the Moonstone Spire before you."

"What brought this— hey, Catra. Catra!" But it was too late — Catra was running flat-out down the garden path and already turning the corner towards the great hall, her toe claws scrabbling against the stone.

"Oh, it is on," Adora said as she sprang to her feet, grinning as she got up to full speed in moments.

She managed to catch up to Catra right at the gate to the spire, tackling her around the waist and bringing them both to the ground, both laughing as they rolled to a halt.

"You know I let you catch me, of course."

"What I don't know is why you started running to begin with."

"I just felt in the mood for some exercise all of a sudden," Catra said, looking into Adora's eyes. "Plus, I knew exactly how this was going to end up." And she darted her head forward to plant a quick kiss on Adora's lips.

Adora was still lost in the feeling of it, smiling, when Catra suddenly wriggled out of her arms.

"Okay, now to the top of the tower!" Catra grinned. "Double or nothing," she added, blowing Adora another kiss.

It was another close race.


	4. Catra chases lasers.

The chaotic noise of the battlefield was muffled only slightly by the thin walls of the tent, the booming of shells and clanking of mechs marching against each other making it hard for Adora to concentrate on Catra's battle planning.

"…No, that's not what they're going to do. It's obviously a feint, unless Octavia's suddenly gotten, like, two grades dumber since the last time I saw her." Catra leaned in over the map. "If I know her, she's going to be taking the reserves around…"

Adora winced as a shell went off far too close to the tent, and turned back to Catra. "Around where? I can go to intercept them, and—"

"Hang on a sec, there's something on the map." Catra scratched at a spot, frowning. "I don't know what it— hey, get back here!" She swatted at the spot as it jerked away from her finger. "It's moving!"

"Catra, I don't think…" Adora frowned as she got a good look at what Catra was chasing. It wasn't anything solid, as far as she could tell, just a dot. A red dot. A glowing, red dot, gliding across the paper.

"Quit running away, you little— ugh!" Catra darted back and forth along the side of the table as the dot kept moving back and forth, trying to get a better angle on it, totally ignoring what Adora was saying.

"Uh, Catra—!" Adora's tone got more urgent as she looked up to see another glowing red dot, this one on the thin tent wall, moving exactly in sync with the one on the map table.

"Adora, it's getting away!" She pounced, landing right on the map with all four limbs and sending papers and troop markers flying. She whipped her head around, looking for it. "It's got to be magic or something, we've got to catch it — where did it go?!?"

Only Adora could see that the glowing spot had moved to the back of Catra's head.

"For the honor of Grayskull!" Adora was transforming even as she leapt for Catra, tackling her off the table, and brought her shield up just in time to intercept the energy bolt that tore through the tent wall aimed right at Catra's head. As Catra's eyes went incredibly wide, She-Ra transformed the shield back into her sword, pointed it right through the hole in the tent, and fired off a bolt of radiant energy that did not, in fact, hit the Horde trooper crouching on the hill half a mile away, but came close enough that he was running for his life before she could get off a second shot.

Catra's claws were digging into She-Ra's arms, her tail fluffed out in shock as she stared at the hole in the tent. Slowly, she relaxed her grip, tension fading as she realized the danger was passed, and a look of chagrin spread across her face. She thumped her head lightly against the ground.

"A sniper. Of course. I must look like such an idiot right now."

"Well, look at it this way." She-Ra tilted Catra's chin towards her and gave her a quick kiss. "You match your girlfriend for once."


	5. Catra will not get out of your lap.

"You know, if they got Swift Wind a chair, I'm sure they could get one for you."

"Uh-huh. I'm sure they could."

"But you don't want them to."

"I'm comfy right here."

"It's just that I think I'm not going to get as much respect from the Princess Alliance if my girlfriend and top strategist is snuggling in my lap at every meeting."

"You're She-Ra. You saved the galaxy, and you're still making the world a better place every single day. If they don't respect you, they're idiots, and I'll be glad to tell them so."

"That's… completely frustrating and kind of sweet at the same time. Which means it's totally you."

"Heh. Sweet enough for a kiss?"

"Mwah."

"Prrrr."

"So… are you going to get up any time soon?"

"What part of 'I'm comfy right here' didn't you understand?"

"It's just that it's almost lunch time, and I need to go talk to Bow about the rebuilding plans before that, and…"

"If it were really that important, we both know you're strong enough to lift me off you. And yet you haven't."

"Well… I mean, this is kind of nice. And you're purring."

"Heh. Face facts, princess. You're just a big softy."

"And you're such a brat."

"And you love me for it."

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me."

"Mwah."


	6. Catra hates water.

Catra's ears flicked back every time the sound of a drop of water falling echoed through the cave. "I hate this already."

"Perfuma said that a relaxing meditation session in Mystacor's Steam Grotto would be the perfect thing for your blocked chakras and soothe the red facets of your aura."

"And you actually believe that?"

"I don't even know what it means. But she's never been wrong about helping you get your head together before."

"I know, I know, it's just…" She tentatively dipped one claw from one foot into the steaming water, shuddered, and scrambled backwards. "Ugh."

"I still remember how you'd try to skip out on daily hygiene back when we were growing up."

"Who needs to get sprayed with water every single day? I can keep myself clean just fine anyway."

"And when they did finally drag you into the showers, you'd wriggle free as soon as you could and hide somewhere for the rest of the day."

"It takes hours for my fur to dry, Adora. Hours. Do you know how gross that feels? And I smell all funky while it does." She looked down, rubbing her arm. "But, I mean, if it were just that…" She turned away from Adora, unable to meet her eyes. "I never told you what it was like to get brainwashed by Horde Prime. I… There was this pool of green stuff on his ship. Like water, but it felt like… acid with lightning running through it. They grabbed hold of me, and marched me into it, and… and held my head under… "

Any more words were lost as Catra's breath caught in her throat when she felt Adora's arms wrapping her from behind, pulling her in to a tight, comforting embrace, the length of Adora's body pressing against her. Wordlessly, Catra squirmed and turned around without breaking the embrace, returning the hug and burying her face in Adora's shoulder.

"It's okay," Adora said, stroking her hair. "I'm here. And if you don't want to do this, no one's going to force you. We can go lie on the cloud beach and just relax, and I'll tell Perfuma she's just going to have to think of something else. You're safe here. No one wants to hurt you, and I'm here to stand with you if they did."

Catra slumped a little into Adora's embrace, leaning against her. Adora tightened her hug and went on. "But… maybe that's a reason you should do it. There's no chance anything really bad will happen, and you know it, even if you don't feel it. And I'm here if you need me. Maybe this will help. Maybe having good memories about water will make the bad ones a little less bad."

Catra turned her head a little and looked down into the steaming pool nearby. It was clear, and not very deep, and had a faint pleasant smell she couldn't quite identify. Logically, Adora was right. Logically, she wasn't risking anything but a few unpleasant hours with wet fur.

"Just… just hold me while I do it, okay? If I freak out or lose my nerve and run off, I'll never live it down."

"Of course." Adora shifted around Catra without letting go of her, and they stood side by side, Adora's arms protecting her from the world. Slowly, hesitantly, Catra put one foot into the water, then the other, flinching at every movement. Inch by inch, she lowered herself into the water, until finally she was sitting down, clinging to Adora's body as if it it were a lifeline.

"There. There, I did it, okay? I'm fine. I'll be fine." Every muscle in her body was still tense, as she fought every urge to leap out and dash for someplace to hide in. But the water did feel… not exactly nice, but somehow better than she'd expected.

Adora leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head, between her flattened ears. "And I'm very proud of you, dear."

And slowly, almost imperceptibly, the tension faded.


End file.
